Monica Furlong

Monica Furlong was a British author and historian whose interests included medieval religion and spirituality. She wrote biographies of John Bunyan, Trappist monk Thomas Merton, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, as well as books covering such diverse topics as the spiritual life of aboriginals, medieval women mystics, and the Church of England. Furlong began her writing career in 1956 as a feature writer for Truth magazine. She then joined The Spectator as its religious correspondent from 1958 until 1960, before moving to the Daily Mail, where she remained for the next eight years. She is best known for her trilogy of children's books set in medieval Scotland: *Wise Child* (1987), *Juniper* (a.k.a. *A Year and a Day*) (1990), and the posthumous *Colman* (2004).